Notre Dame had seven players selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, trailing only Ohio State, Clemson and UCLA on the weekend tally. But after the draft finished, the Irish had five more players get their shot at playing on Sundays.

Chris Brown signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Romeo Okwara will begin his career with the New York Giants. Matthias Farley and Amir Carlisle signed contracts with the Arizona Cardinal. Elijah Shumate agreed to a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After missing two seasons, Ishaq Williams will be at Giants rookie camp next weekend as well, working as a tryout player. Expect Jarrett Grace to receive similar opportunities.

Count me among those that thought both Brown and Okwara would hear their names called. Brown’s senior season, not to mention his intriguing measureables, had some projecting him as early as the fifth round.

There are plenty of thing that happen that make no sense to me, please add Chris Brown going undrafted to my list. #NDLuv#MyBrother#What?

Okwara, still 20 years old and fresh off leading Notre Dame in sacks in back-to-back seasons, intrigued a lot of teams with his ability to play both defensive end and outside linebacker. He’ll get a chance to make the Giants—the team didn’t draft a defensive end after selecting just one last year, and they’re in desperate need of pass rushers.

Both Shumate and Farley feel like contenders to earn a spot on rosters, both because of their versatility and special teams skills. Shumate played nickel back as a freshman and improved greatly at safety during 2015. Farley bounced around everywhere and was Notre Dame’s special teams captain.

Carlisle might fit a similar mold. He played running back, receiver and returned kicks and punts throughout his college career. With a 4.4 during Notre Dame’s Pro Day, he likely showed the Cardinals enough to take a shot, and now he’ll join an offense with Michael Floyd and Troy Niklas.

When Matthias Farley grows older, when his beard turns from black to grey, he’ll look back on his years at Notre Dame and smile. The fifth-year captain is a football survivor. He’s also the face of the resiliency that head coach Brian Kelly has instilled in his roster.

How best to succinctly tell Farley’s story? Let’s try.

Matthias Farley: The back-up plan? Matthias Farley: Bailing out the defense since 2012? Matthias Farley: No matter where you bury him on the depth chart, he’ll be there when you need him?

Last Saturday, Farley added another chapter to one of the more remarkable on-field stories we’ve seen in recent years. After spending the first half on the sidelines and playing special teams, Farley was called into action after Drue Tranquill went down.

And then, on one of his first snaps of the afternoon, Farley found a way to be involved in one of the biggest plays of the game: he and Jaylon Smith forced a fumble that Smith very nearly ran back for a touchdown.

There he was, a back-up superhero who only gets to put his cape on when Superman or Batman pull a groin or tweak a hamstring. Kelly talked on Tuesday about Farley’s ability to impact games, while still not being able to find his way into the starting lineup.

“He doesn’t like it,” Kelly said. “He wants to be out there starting. He believes that he can help this football team as a starter. But he’s one of those guys that makes this 2015 football team special in that he’ll do whatever is necessary for the good of the team.”

Farley has made a career out of being ready. It started in 2012, when the converted receiver was just days into his career as a safety when he leap-frogged fifth-year safety Dan McCarthy as the opening day option specialist in Notre Dame’s drubbing of Navy in Dublin. Then when Jamoris Slaughter’s season ended just a few weeks later, Farley was asked to step into the starting lineup, to carry one-eleventh of the weight for one of Notre Dame’s finest defenses in school history.

His teammates know that. Farley found a way to be a key piece of a defense that led the Irish to an undefeated regular season. And they’re hoping he’ll do it again.

“Matthias started like nine games on the way to the National Championship Game, and started in the National Championship Game and played I think four years now,” Joe Schmidt said Wednesday.

“He’s been a starter. He’s been not a starter. He’s been the special teams captain. He’s been just about everything in his time here, and so I just think it’s so funny that it’s even a question if he’s ready or if he’s going to perform because he’s a baller.

“He’s been a baller. He’s always going to be a baller.”

Farley’s fit in Brian VanGorder’s defense has been a curious one. After an injury-plagued and disappointing 2013 season, Farley switched positions, turning him from starting safety into what amounted to roughly a sixth-string cornerback. Farley looked closer to Siberia than the starting lineup.

But what ended up happening? KeiVarae Russell gets suspended. Cody Riggs got hurt. And Farley ended up filling up the stat sheet better than any other defender on the roster.

Entering 2015, Farley once again didn’t look like he had a place in this defense. Freshman Shaun Crawford looked like a perfect fit at nickel cornerback. Safeties Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate were dialed into the starting lineup. Even in specialty packages, Tranquill was a better fit for the battering ram VanGorder was looking for in dime and option situations.

So Farley did his job. And for two games, that meant leading the special teams.

“A captain’s role is to lead and it doesn’t always have to be on every single down,” Farley said Wednesday. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a play-a-hundred-plays-a-game kind of deal.”

But that moment is coming. With the Next Man In now clearly focused on Farley’s availability, the veteran has the opportunity to finish his collegiate career playing a ton of important snaps for the defense, a group that understandably has confidence in one of the team’s best leaders. Even if—once again—it’s by accident.

“We all have complete confidence in Matthias because he’s been there and he’s done it,” Schmidt said. “He’s been successful and he’ll continue to be successful.”

Next Man In has been a bedrock philosophy for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. But even he understands that the Irish are approaching a breaking point.

The loss of Drue Tranquill is the latest season-ending injury for the Irish, pushing the Irish coaching staff into a sticky spot at safety, the latest position group to see its depth chart tested. And as the Irish move forward this week as their focus turns to UMass, Kelly acknowledged that the Irish need to weather the storm, especially at a few key positions.

“Certainly we can’t afford to lose any more players at key positions,” Kelly said. “Quarterback, running back, you start to get into true freshmen, and that will be obviously a significant change in what we look like.”

At quarterback, true freshman Brandon Wimbush was warming up on the sidelines when Georgia Tech recovered an onside kick and held onto the football. Expect to see Wimbush this weekend, with Kelly knowing full well that he needs to get his young quarterback experience before he heads to Death Valley.

Behind C.J. Prosise, freshman Josh Adams received just three carries on Saturday. But both he and Dexter Williams will likely get a chance to wet their feet against a UMass defensive front that gave up 390 rushing yards to the Colorado Buffaloes.

With Tranquill the latest hard-luck Domer to go down, the safety position gets interesting. Avery Sebastian is still a few weeks away from returning, likely after the off week. Max Redfield stayed off the field on Saturday, both scheme and a broken hand limiting him.

That could lead to utilityman Matthias Farley stepping into the lineup, at a position that’s not exactly his natural spot. Or it could means freshman Nicco Fertitta is activated. Kelly was candid when he said he and Brian VanGorder hadn’t decided what to do yet.

“Matthias has the ability to play a couple of different positions,” Kelly explained. “Brian (VanGorder) and I have not had that personnel conversation yet relative to what will be the next move that we make there. Whether we bring somebody up into that role, or whether it’s Nicco Fertitta, or do we have (Nicky) Baratti move. We’ve got to make that decision here in the next 24 hours. I’m not really sure yet.”

The loss of Tranquill takes away an important piece of Notre Dame’s option puzzle, with Navy still to come. And with the defense already short Jarron Jones and nickel back Shaun Crawford, how this team keeps things together remains to be seen.

“There is a break point. You know, we are still at a point where we have guys that can come in and step in,” Kelly said. “But there’s no question that we have to be able to stem the tide here with these injuries.”

The objective is straightforward. Accomplishing it? That’s much more difficult. As Paul Johnson and his Georgia Tech team travel to South Bend, they bring with them an offense that’s provided sleepless nights to opposing coaches all around the country.

Johnson’s triple-option attack stresses defenses in ways others do not. Its ability to be both singular and multiple, simple and yet complex; it starts to feel like we’re discussing a Sherlock Holmes villain, not an offensive scheme concocted in a long-ago era of football and improved upon by Johnson over the last two decades.

So while Georgia Tech leaves half of the offensive menu largely untouched (so far, Yellow Jacket quarterback Justin Thomas has thrown the ball 13 times this season, the same as DeShone Kizer), the challenge is a singular one, and will likely determine the path Brian Kelly’s football team will travel this season.

As we crack open this pregame six pack, we’re going to focus on six key members* of the Irish who will play a large part in determining if Notre Dame sings the alma mater undefeated, or if the home crowd heads to the parking lot with frowns on their faces.

JAYLON SMITH

Notre Dame’s defensive star needs to be one on Saturday. Last year against Navy, Smith only made six tackles. Against Georgia Tech, that number should double if the junior is on his game.

Also playing a factor is where Smith lines up. After being taken out of certain plays schematically, Notre Dame’s staff has made certain that whatever the Yellow Jackets plan on doing, they’ll need to accomplish it by going through Smith.

“We’ve made sure that regardless of the situation, Jaylon is going to be central to what happens on the field on Saturday,” Kelly said on Tuesday.

That should mean a move to the middle for Smith, likely in tandem with Joe Schmidt. And while that’ll mean tougher sledding in the trenches for a linebacker who is still learning how to shed blockers and excel in the interior, Smith’s other-worldly athleticism and skills need to be on display.

DESHONE KIZER

Making his first start, Kizer carries the weight of the Irish offense on his shoulders. But this week Kelly and the Irish offensive staff did their best to tell Kizer he was just one-eleventh of the equation.

“We want to make sure that he understands that he’s got a lot of good players around him,” Kelly said. “He needs to just be who he is and we’ll take advantage of what his skills are.”

That’s easier said than done. Kizer’s life has been turned inside out this week. After shuffling through his first year on campus as just another football player, the biggest news heading into spring football was that Kizer would see the field…as the holder.

But after the transfer of Everett Golson and the injury to Malik Zaire, Kizer is now the starting quarterback on a Top 10 football team.

“I’m trying my hardest to make it as normal as I can,” Kizer told Jac Collinsworth this week for our Stay Gold podcast. “Obviously there’s some things you just can’t get around… It can become overwhelming at times, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job trying to push myself into my academics and push myself into preparing for Georgia Tech, trying to ignore some of the extra stuff that comes with the position.”

If Kizer’s on-field performance is anything like his game-week remarks, the Irish offense won’t miss a beat. From the moment he took the podium after Notre Dame’s win over Virginia, everything that’s come out of Kizer’s mouth has been a really impressive display for a young kid seeing and doing things for the first time.

Now it’s time for him to parlay that into a heady afternoon on the football field, with Kelly’s continual reminder to simply stay within himself.

“He doesn’t need to come in here and put everybody on his shoulders and say I’m going to save the day for Notre Dame when Malik goes down,” Kelly said. “We have a system here in place. Just do exactly what we ask you to do and you’re going to be fine.”

THE OTHER SAFETIES (DRUE TRANQUILL & MATTHIAS FARLEY)

You thought we’d spend a few hundred more words on the play of Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate? (Believe me, I could…) No, the safeties that I’m most interested in are sophomore Drue Tranquill and graduate student Matthias Farley. Both will likely play critical roles in the defensive game plan, asked to make plays in space and tackle the pitch man on the edges of the defense.

Tranquill’s size and speed has quickly made him a useful cog in Notre Dame’s sub-packages, with Brian VanGorder utilizing Tranquill in dime packages and as a blitzer. On Saturday, expect to see Tranquill around the line of scrimmage, asked to come up and tackle from the edge, a 225-pounder who should be able to run with Georgia Tech’s backfield.

Farley’s role might come at the expense of Redfield’s, with the veteran a nearly forgotten part of the defensive scheme last season against Navy. But when he got his chances, Farley did some serious damage, notching two sacks of Keenan Reynolds (the only two of the game) and five tackles in limited minutes.

Notre Dame’s secondary needs to tackle better. They need to do their jobs better. And while Farley doesn’t have the athleticism that Redfield does, he has two working hands and a head on his shoulders that should help keep missed tackles—and mental mistakes—down.

That’s a critical piece of the puzzle for the secondary this week, with everybody tasked with a different objective. And the game plan demands excellence from this group if the Irish are going to pull out a win on Saturday.

“They’re all going to play a role in our success. And they’re all going to have to tackle well and they’re all going to have to be so locked in on their keys,” Kelly said, when asked about the back-end of his defense.

After a tough weekend at the office against Virginia, can this group rally to stop a Georgia Tech offense that was 76 spots better in scoring offense in 2014?

“The answer to that question will not be evident until Saturday around seven o’clock,” Kelly said with a smile.

SHELDON DAY

Notre Dame’s returning captain on the defensive line needs to wreak havoc and lead from the front. Against an offensive line that’s done a dominant job run blocking and controlling the point of attack, Day needs to fill the stat sheet, but also drag along with him Isaac Rochell, Daniel Cage, Jerry Tillery and defensive ends Romeo Okwara and Andrew Trumbetti.

There are so many factors that’ll determine whether this game is won or lost. But it’s hard to find a position group more important than the defensive line. After looking like a unit that wore down last week against Virginia’s offensive line, how Keith Gilmore’s position group handles the non-stop challenge of the Yellow Jacket’s ground game will be fascinating.

Day will shift inside and out, asked to do everything from tackle the dive, stop Justin Thomas and destroy blockers to free up the linebackers behind him. And just as important, he’ll have to stay healthy against an offensive line that utilizes a cut-blocking scheme to trigger some elements of its ground attack.

(Before you say it, let’s get this out of the way: It’s legal. Get over it.)

Day is four years into his college football career, one that started in Dublin against a Navy offense running a similar scheme. As he plays his two final games against the triple-option, taking all his acquired knowledge and leading his position group with a big afternoon is a key to victory.

NICK MARTIN

Color me unimpressed by the short-yardage performance of Harry Hiestand’s group last week. And while the Irish are averaging a robust 5.4 yards per carry and 233 yards a game running the football, none of it will matter if the offense can’t convert on 3rd-and-short.

Martin is the leader of the unit and triggers the point of attack. Earlier this week, he made it clear that he understands that the problems the Irish had up front and knows they need to be corrected by Saturday afternoon.

“As an offensive line we talk about where to find the obvious run and the obvious pass,” Martin said Wednesday, when asked about the struggles on third down and in short yardage situations. “And plain and simple we haven’t been good enough in that situation. Good thing is every week’s new, every week’s different. You can’t dwell in the past, you can only learn from it and move on from there.”

There will be opportunities to exploit Georgia Tech’s defensive line. The Yellow Jackets gave up a shade over five yards a carry last season, a dreadful 105th in the country in that category. And while defensive coordinator Ted Roof returns most of his defense, they are still susceptible up front, as long as the Irish offensive line puts together a complete game.

There is a lot on Martin’s shoulders this week. Communication with a first-time starting quarterback. Making sure the chains move and protections get picked up. But as a fifth-year player and a returning captain, that’s part of the gig.

Everybody inside Notre Dame Stadium knows it’ll be important for the Irish ground game to hold its own. It’s Martin’s job to make sure the offensive line imposes its will.

BRIAN KELLY

Enough about the subplot between Paul Johnson and Brian VanGorder. This game will come down to the head of the Irish football program getting the most out of his team and out-coaching Johnson.

That means finding solutions on defense. It’ll mean orchestrating a better offensive game plan than the one in Charlottesville. And it also requires a victory on special teams.

“We don’t have big margins for error in any one of those three areas. Guys need to be locked in,” Kelly said on Thursday. “The challenge this week was to be a smarter football team. A more efficient football team. And then (have) a great will to win. We need to bring that as well.”

Kelly has shown an ability to rally his team. And in many ways entering Notre Dame Stadium as an underdog will be helpful, though it’s hard to think anybody in the Irish locker room needs added incentive to play well.

Contrary to public opinion, Notre Dame doesn’t need to be perfect to beat Georgia Tech. But they need to be very good and very efficient.

As we look back on past victories, this game calls to mind the Irish’s impressive Shamrock Series win over Arizona State in 2013. The defense held their own against the Sun Devils’ high-powered attack. Tommy Rees engineered an efficient day in Dallas. And the special teams executed, with Kyle Brindza making three second-half field goals, including a 53-yarder.

A victory over Georgia Tech will go a long way toward providing a road map to the lofty places the Irish want to go. A defeat? Well it could very well do irreparable harm to mission objectives that still stand intact, even after five dispiriting injuries.

Kelly is viewed as an elite coach in college football circles. Days like Saturday are where he’ll earn that reputation. So if the Irish are going to win against the Yellow Jackets, the troops aren’t the only ones who’ll have to do a great job. The man leading the charge needs to push all the right buttons, too.

The pieces are in place for Notre Dame’s secondary to be great. Led by returning cornerback KeiVarae Russell and armed with depth at every starting position, first-year position coach Todd Lyght has considerable talent to work with.

But the Irish secondary remains a question mark, especially at the safety position where returning veterans Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate are still doing their best to play up to expectations. In a system where there’s nowhere to hide and aggression can expose sometimes critical mistakes, the secondary is better equipped to handle the flames, even if we aren’t exactly sure how they’ll do until we put their feet to the fire.

In our final section of last looks, Notre Dame’s secondary is under the microscope.

KeiVarae Russell. Russell will lead this group, dragging along every member of the secondary to compete at his level. That’s a good thing, especially after late last season when a confidence boost was needed in November and nobody was there to provide it.

Yet Russell needs to bring more than just pompoms to work. He needs to prove he’s worth all the headlines he’s garnered—not just for the mistakes that led to him missing the 2014 season, but the lofty projections people have made for him after a solid-but-not-quite-spectacular sophomore season.

Russell is playing in a new system, a challenge he craves. He’ll be bouncing inside and out, allowing him to make an impact in both the run and pass game. But in an aggressive scheme that’ll challenge the Irish secondary on a play-to-play basis, Russell not only needs to make sure he’s getting the best out of his teammates, but that he’s delivering the All-American caliber production that we all expect.

NEED A BIG SEASON

Max Redfield & Elijah Shumate. Put simply, this defense will be as good as its safety play. And with little depth behind Redfield and Shumate, it’s on the shoulders of this duo to do the job and do it well.

Last year, both ended up in the dog house, and only a MASH unit allowed either to emerge. But after a year of learning and a commitment to communication, Redfield and Shumate appear poised to play up to their blue-chip expectations.

Of course, that’s what everybody says this time of year. And while Kelly, VanGorder and Lyght have all been saying the right things, this is a put-up or shut-up time for two critical pieces to the puzzle.

THREE BIGGEST FACTORS…

Can this group eliminate the big play? Bob Diaco’s secondary wasn’t the most exciting group in America. But it understood that you can win a lot of football games and keep the points down by not giving up the big play. Late last year when things started going wrong, the secondary was getting beat and giving up yards—and points—by the bushel.

With the talent that Notre Dame has, a repeat of that would be immensely disappointing. But with some talented quarterbacks and receivers on this schedule, it’s a key factor, especially if VanGorder wants to continue to play aggressive.

Can Redfield turn into a playmaker? Notre Dame hasn’t had a playmaking safety since Harrison Smith roamed centerfield. But Redfield has all the attributes you want from a free safety, and he’s literally the only guy on this roster who can physically do what this defense needs.

Redfield has a fresh start with Todd Lyght. He’s been filled with confidence by Brian Kelly. And he appears committed to football. Asking Redfield to be Smith—a first-rounder with elite talent as well—might be too much. But can he be at least above average, making some plays on the football that he was a step or two slow to last season?

Before Smith was ball-hawking he was getting kicked around for two seasons. And that’s reason for hope that the light can turn on for Redfield, too.

How versatile can this group be? Notre Dame will face teams that’ll spread the Irish out and also triple-option teams that’ll want to bully them. And with the depth chart still a little bit thinner than you want, how VanGorder and Lyght decide to use some of the key complementary pieces to this unit will be very important.

Matthias Farley won’t be asked to be a man-cover corner in the slot, but he’ll play a big role in other packages. Drue Tranquill might not be capable of being a half-field safety, but he certainly can attack off the edge, or hold-up against the pitch man versus an option attack. Beyond that, Notre Dame getting something out of Nick Watkins can only help, and if one of the freshmen safety can play it’d be a bonus, too. (Then again, so would keeping a redshirt on both.)

The loss of Shaun Crawford robbed the Irish of a little versatility, but seeing how this group mixes and matches will be fun.

THREE RANDOM THOUGHTS

Can Russell and Luke take their place among the dynamic cornerbacking duos? We’ve undersold Cole Luke’s 2014 season. He was really, really solid against a slate of wide receivers that looked like a murderer’s row. On the other hand, we’ve all bought in to KeiVarae Russell’s return to greatness, and the confident senior is deadset on making up for lost time.

There’s enough talent here for this duo to make the outside a no-fly zone. Just as important, this staff could have enough confidence in Luke and Russell to stay outside on islands against the option, allowing the Irish to put eight and nine men in the box as they aggressively attack the option, relying on their two corners to not get lost in the shuffle and get beat over the top.

It’s been since Vontez Duff and Shane Walton since the Irish had a duo that the college football world viewed as elite. If Russell and Luke can play up to that level, this defense will be in great shape.

Is Devin Butler really ready to be an outside cornerback? Want proof that Todd Lyght gave everybody a blank slate? Check out Butler’s ascent into the starting nickel corner role.

Last November, Butler had a two-way miss—giving up the underneath throws and still getting beat over the top. That’s a fatal flaw for a cornerback that some thought was a mismatch for this scheme to begin with, especially since he was recruited for Bob Diaco’s Cover 2.

But give credit to Butler for a big summer and preseason camp, earning his way into the lineup over a talented young cornerback like Nick Watkins. But also hold your breath, because you’ve got to expect offensive coordinators to throw at Butler early and often, especially after the game tape he put together last November.

Can Todd Lyght bring consistency to this group? Kerry Cooks is gone, off to Oklahoma after Signing Day, a calendar year after being passed up for the defensive coordinator job. So Kelly decided to bring Todd Lyght back to his alma mater, a decision that looks great on paper, with the former Irish All-American able to also point to a Super Bowl championship and a Pro Bowl NFL career as well.

But the move isn’t without risks. Lyght has barely begun his coaching career, serving as an intern at Oregon for two seasons under Chip Kelly before joining him in Philadelphia for parts of two seasons as an assistant defensive backs coach. And after just agreeing to join Vanderbilt’s staff to coach cornerbacks, Lyght took some convincing to turn around and head back to South Bend to coach the Irish secondary, a decision not without risk for either side.

The early returns say the decision was a good one, with Lyght quick to find his footing running the secondary while also hitting his stride on the recruiting trail. But in the past, Kelly has used two coaches to deal with the secondary, splitting jobs between cornerbacks and safeties. Lyght is handling it all, in his first full-fledged assistant job.